This July is going to be plastic free. Plastic Free July started in 2011. It means that this July we should be using less plastic. This can help stop the amount of pollution. Anyone can do the challenge of Plastic Free July.

Nine percent of plastic has been recycled. The other 91% is in landfills and oceans. Plastic Free July was invented by Rebecca Prince-Ruiz. According to plasticfreejuly.org,  “Rebecca believes that as individuals, by changing our relationship with plastic and challenging our consumption, together we can work towards a world without plastic waste.”

Ways to be plastic free this July:

• Bring your own cup to cafes or coffee

shops instead of using take-out cups.

• Buy less; packaging uses a lot of plastic.

• Use reusable shopping bags.

• Use bar soap instead of bottles.

Plastic that can be recycled has a recycling triangle with a number. There may also be letters. HDPE and LDPE stand for high-density polyethylene and low-density polyethylene. These are some of the safest plastics that are reusable.

Remember, Plastic Free July can stretch past this month—you can do it every month!

PHOTO CREDIT: plasticfreejuly.org